Getting It Right! An Investigation of the Pythagorean Theorem

Learners construct a variety of right triangles using a right-angled set square, cutting corners from pieces of paper or cardboard, and using dynamic geometry software. They measure the sides of these various right triangles and record measurements in a spreadsheet. Young scholars use the spreadsheet to look for possible patterns in the measurements. They also use the spreadsheet to square the values of each measurement and to look for possible relations among squared values.